Why you should plant cycads and miniature agaves

I live in the desert, in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area, and when I bought my house, I wanted the tiny backyard to be an oasis. I had just moved from Southern California so I wanted a tropical effect. What I found out is that the high temperatures and low humidity meant that a lot of plants, like ferns, just didn't grow. I would buy them, and no matter what I did, I would just watch them slowly die.

Then someone introduced me to a "sago palm", which got me interested in that type of plant, which is called a cycad. Cycads are sort of miniature palms, and have a nice ferny look without being so delicate. I've planted a lot of them around here. I've also found that miniature agaves make a wonderful complement plant for them.

But hold on there, before you go rushing out, you gotta do a little bit of homework. That is, you have find out the mature size of these plants before you make the mistake of planting something that will get way too big. And you'll also have to be prepared to either spend a lot of money, or know people who will give you plants like this, as they are very expensive. Miniature plants tend to be very expensive, and if you go to a nursery, you can find many much larger plants for cheaper. But you don't want large plants, and that's the trick.

The cycads you see there are mostly dioons. There are also a couple of miniature palms. The agaves are also all miniatures. I love how the shapes work together.

My tropical paradise is a tiny space, filled with miniature plants. If you visit a nursery with knowledgeable people, they can help you. Think small!